


Back In Black

by BethBoca



Series: Little Pattillo and Vagabond [3]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 08:01:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16133060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BethBoca/pseuds/BethBoca
Summary: The FakeAH crew and all their sidekicks have been living in Texas for a little over a year now. A lot has changed for the crew, but one thing they knew would never change is their way of life. After a frantic call from FakeHaus, the crew has to return to Los Santos for some unfinished business.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> So I have a surprise for you in the end notes. Enjoy!

I couldn't be happier. Ryan and I were married, Lindsay and Michael had another baby on the way, Caiti and Jack had Lauren earlier in the year, Gavin and Meg are finally engaged, and Ryan and I were planning our own family out. I can't say the time here has been easy for everyone. Geoff and Griffon got divorced and Jeremy and Kat were trying to have a child but she was called "difficult to conceive" by her doctor. We all lived happily in Austin now and couldn't even imagine returning back to Los Santos. I looked up at the office building we had owned for our personal use. It had some rooms converted into bedrooms and others into store rooms, computer rooms, gaming rooms... The list goes on. My heels clacked on the white marble flooring as I passed a few of the said rooms and entered my own office space. My new job was being hired to get information for the cops instead of the other way around. I guess you can say we were all trying to clean up our past one step at a time. Michael had become the working dad and Lindsay the part-time working mom. Jack and Caiti both decided to work part-time to get even amounts of time for the baby bonding times. Gavin and Meg were planning their wedding for the fall of this year or the next. Geoff has been in a bit of a dumpy mood due to his divorce, but I know that through this he will find happiness again. Jeremy and Kat have been arguing a lot due to the doctor's news and it's been rough on all of us because of it. We felt awful for their predicament and like we could do something to help but chose not to. Today, I was supposed to meet Ryan for lunch downstairs for a meeting with Jack and Caiti about the production agency they worked with and how much they would need from us to help out. I was scrolling through my emails when a couple from FakeHaus back in Los Santos caught my eye. One was congratulating whomever needed it and apologizing to the rest. I smiled at the email, missing Adam being my best friend. Now I had Ryan, though. Oh my god that sounded lame... I click on the next email and all it contains is a time and date. I glance at the clock and date in the bottom corner of the computer and see it was for today but in ten minutes. I wanted to respond to the email with questions but I knew that if that was all they sent, they were going to call off of a burner phone. Which, now that it's been a year here, I was not actually looking forward to. FakeHaus clearly would email if they wanted to catch up with us. This was serious. I immediately stood from my computer and practically ran down the hall to Ryan's office. He was in the middle of editing videos for a separate company when I barged in.

"Woah, you okay?" He asks, startled.

"I got an email from FakeHaus." I almost whispered the words, but he still heard them loud and clear. His facial expression changed and he cleared his throat.

"Time and Date?"

"Today and ten minutes from now." We both glanced to the clock on the wall. Three Forty-Seven was read on the black sticks' ends.

"We can't just ignore it." He says lowly. I sigh and stare down at my ring, twirling it.

"Why can't we?" I question, sounding like a child. "We both know that this is about what we left behind."

"Because they were what we left behind." I sighed in frustration because he was right. "Come on, D... We have to see what they need or if we could help without going back." I bit my bottom lip and stared a the floor while taking a seat on the edge of his desk. 'Going back' had a lot more to it than just flying to Los Santos. No one wanted that anymore. Everyone moved on, had families and lives they were actually enjoying to live. "Hey." I move my eyes to Ryan's and see him sincerely looking at me. "I love you. Whatever they want, we have to at least listen to them." I nod and clear my throat.

"You're right." My mind filled with questions and concerns for FakeHaus. I tapped my foot impatiently and bit at my thumb nail. "Why now? Why a year later?"

"I don't know, Babe, but we need to-"

"Hear them out, I know..."

"So let's just try to be the Austin us until they call, okay?" He was so gentle with his words yet strong. I couldn't help but smile at him when a wave of calm washes over me from this.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." We share a peck on the lips before my phone starts going off in my jacket pocket. I glance at the clock again. Three Fifty-Seven. Ryan and I exchange looks and I slowly answer the cell.

"Hello?"

"Oh my god, you got the email, good." Elyse's voice echoed through the speaker as I placed the phone down on the desk. "Listen, we know you've moved on and that's fucking amazing. We are so happy for you, but Los Santos isn't." I eyed Ryan quickly before looking back to the device. "Adam and Jess ran into a few old gang buds and they warned him about this new boss that they are working under." Elyse paused and sighed deeply. "Diane, the new boss is your mom." My body froze. My mom was still alive... We never ended her, just her business. I placed my head down on my arm and just listened to Elyse talking. "I'm sorry, D, I know you wanted out but this is something you started and that you have to finish. We tried to do it, but we are too small. We can't get close. Maybe you guys can... I even called up Brownman- I mean, Ray. He's down to help you take her down like last time." My head rose slowly when I looked towards Ryan. Elyse was, unfortunately, right. We didn't end her when we were the ones trying to. She was there for us and when she found out we vanished, she just took over.

"I don't know if we can do this, Elyse..." Ryan tells her. "We worked really hard to get where we are now. I doubt any of the crew will be ready to just get up and go back to Los Santos." I stared at the phone quietly. "We all have futures that are already being started. I can't-"

"If they won't go I will." The words just kind of fell out of my mouth. "Either way, I'll see you soon, okay?" We both click off the phone and I swallow thickly.

"Diane-"

"Wait." I cut his off. "Before you get on my ass about this I want you to know that she's right. I started this and didn't finish it. We actually didn't get the chance to if we wanted to make an escape like we did. If Ray is offering help then I'm happy to take it. If you want to, you can come. Ask the crew, too. Whoever comes needs to know all risks and reasons." He's quiet for a moment. "I know you're scared of going back to being Vagabond." I state plainly. "I'm scared of my old self, too. If we do this together, is there really anything to be afraid of?"

"Losing them." He says lowly.

"The others? That is the point of-"

"No..." He sighs and looks me straight in the eyes. "Losing them- us." His words shocked me slightly. "We'd lose something that made us who we are. I know we were bad people, but we were so good at being bad. That's what got us here today. Eager to move on, wanting more in life than just a small group. We have expanded our minds and selves way farther than we ever imagined we would. Being Vagabond is why I wanted to marry you so bad." I just sat there and listened to his speech of reasoning. "That's also why I'm so terrified of going back. Because if we lose our old selves by trying to be our new selves... We might lose the fire in us." I've only heard Ryan being sentimental three times. When he proposed, when we got married, and now. That's how I knew he was far beyond just serious. I swallowed thickly and nodded in understanding now.

"Then what do we do?" I whisper. He shrugs and runs a hand through his hair.

"I feel like we kind of have to... We didn't finish this thing and now we have to or else it's just gonna get worse." I was quiet but I knew how right he was. "Let's go tell the others then." We stand from our seats and try our hardest to procrastinate reaching the office everyone else worked in. As we neared the door, my heart pounded. I could hear loud laughter from inside and a lot of yelling. I held back the lump in my throat that made me wanna vomit. I was scared of their answers and how they would feel in the end. I couldn't do this... When I was about to turn to walk away Ryan grabbed my shoulder.

"Hey, come on..." He says lowly. "We won't know unless we try." I stare at his deep sea blue eyes and let out a deep breath I didn't find myself holding in until now. We both push through the office door and everyone turns to look at us with gleeful looks.

"Hey guys!" Gavin bellows. "Just in time for-"

"What's up?" Geoff cuts off Gavin's excitement and stares intently at Ryan and I when he sees our worried and stressed expressions. The room falls quiet and they all focus on the both of us immediately.

"Well, um... FakeHaus says congrats to everyone and they wish you the best of luck." I could tell by the look on Geoff's face he already knew what was next. "They also said I need to go back to Los Santos." There was a heavy feeling in the room and the pressure on my shoulders as it got harder to hold up was making me breathe faster.

"I'm going with her and I need to know if it's even worth explaining to you guys if you're just gonna say no." Ryan says, lifting some of the weight for me.

"Explain it." Gavin says quickly. If Gavin is in, I am sure at least someone else is, too. I begin to explain what the reason for our return to Los Santos would be and how it would happen. Ryan filled in the gaps of how he felt and why he was scared to go himself. Everyone in the room was quiet the entire time. I made eye contact with Jack and could see him just as freaked and stressed as I am. I added in how Ray was down to help us win this thing, but that didn't seem to change the feeling in the room, only make it worse.

"So are you actually gonna do this?" Michael asks lowly. I look at him and slowly nod. "Well, I gotta talk to Lindsay. Depending on her I will give you my answer."

"I'm down." Gavin speaks up with a shrug. "Turney will understand. She always does." I guarantee Turney will not understand.

"I feel like I kind of have to." Jack says, annoyed. "I mean, it's our mom. We stopped you from doing this a long time ago."

"Kat probably wouldn't mind helping since she needs to blow off some steam." Jeremy mentions. "I would love to help a friend and my wife get even at some bitches." I laugh lightly and thank all of them. That's when all eyes went to Geoff, who claimed to be retired. Then again, we all kind of were.

"Well fuck, I guess death comes when it's called." I smile wide and feel relief wave over me. "I also know a few new recruits I've been keeping an eye on for this kind of thing ever happening. Ya know, the whole going back idea... I'll give them a call, see what's up, and you'll know by tomorrow morning." I let out a deep breath and look at Ryan.

"Looks like this bullshit is really gonna happen." He chuckles lowly and nods, saddened a bit.

"It sure does..."


	2. Two

As the plane landed, everyone was tense. Owning a private jet had its perks since it let us talk about the upcoming mission and what's to happen. Ryan held me hand almost the entire flight and it was comforting, but yet anxiety causing. I knew he was scared. Fuck, all of us were. I don't know how many times last night I promised him I was just as scared. I glanced around the cabin as no one dared to move from their seats. Alfredo, one of the new recruits, was patient and quiet, awaiting someone else's orders. When no one moved he stood.

"We need to get this over with." He says to everyone.

"Alfredo, you don't understand how dangerous this is." Trevor said as he also took a stand.

"No, you're right. I don't." I glanced to the new member. "I do know that it's only gonna get worse the longer we sit here, though." He had a good point. Anything could happen in just seconds. I sighed and got up from the seat.

"He's right. I comment. "Let's go." Without another word to stop me, I walked towards the exit of the jet with my bag in hand. Ryan was next behind me, trying to stay close while everyone else lagged it. I took a deep breath and stepped into the airport parking where separate cars waited for each of us. Garages still were filled and kept up by crew members left behind in Los Santos. Jeremy had his Rimmy Tim cars, Gavin his purple cars, and Geoff his pink. Ryan and Jack both had their Zentoros. Michael had his orange and brown one as well. I stepped into the vehicle with Ryan while everyone else got into their designated cars. Seven years ago, I was a bartender in Los Santos. Now here I am, daughter of a lethal woman out for blood and coming back to play the last piece and finish her game. What would have happened if I never moved here with Jack? I wouldn't have married Ryan, I'm sure. For all I know, my life would have been normal. I glanced over at Ryan and studied his stressed-out face. The wrinkles by his eyes, the scars on his chin and cheek, and the dirty look his eyes gave everyone who watched us drive by. You know what? Fuck normal. I'd take this life over it any day.

"I love you." I say bluntly. Ryan side looks to me and smiles small.

"I love you too, Weirdo." I know he liked to keep the mood lighter since the move to Texas, but I knew he was going to try even harder since we were back here. I look out at Los Santos and swallow hard. It really has changed a lot. Not in the good way, either. Advancements are no longer advancements but instead something to keep it where it's at. Something that would be seen as a push forward is now just a barrier to stop it from falling farther into the pit. There were more homeless visibly. You could see the drug lord roaming in daylight with suits and smug looks. This wasn't home anymore. I had to remind myself that maybe it never was. All we had here was death and violence just to get by in life.

"This isn't our Los Santos anymore." I whisper loud enough for Ryan to hear.

"And I'm okay with that." He says back. "But we cannot let it be your mom's either." He was right. Just because we didn't rule this city anymore doesn't mean my mom should. I nod my head as we pull up to the familiar warehouse we shared with CockBites and FakeHaus. They were already waiting there for us with grim faces. There were fewer old members and more new now. I knew some had followed us to Texas, but I also knew not as many as what were missing. I stepped out of the vehicle and smiled at them all.

"Hey, fellas." At my voice, I could see so many heads pick up and brighter faces. Then they fell back down once more.

"D..." Adam Kovic starts. "I'm sorry you have to be here on these circumstances." I shake my head and grab the man into a fond hug.

"I'm here for a good reason." I lean back from the hug. "And that's to help the people who need it. From the looks of it though, that would be all of Los Santos." Bruce nods and scratches the back of his neck.

"We have tried so many times to stop her..." I nod my head in understanding. "We thought we could do it. Our last resort was you specifically." I arch an eyebrow and glance at my crew.

"Only me?" I question. Bruce nods once more.

"She always talked about revenge on you. Maybe bringing you back into the picture helps."

"Or makes it worse." Ryan mentions from behind me. I nod in agreement and the men all sit quiet.

"Either way, I'm here." I tell them. "And I'm ready to end it. For good." They smirk at me before I crack a smile and outstretched my arms. "Now come on everyone. We gotta plan some shit." They all start coming towards us, reconnecting with the old and meeting the new members of each crew. We had lost Caleb from Cockbites as a big loss; Killed in crossfire I heard. Next was Matt Peake from FakeHaus. Ended his own life when my mom murdered his family. Peake was always kind and gentle but strong enough to help on jobs. I can see how he wanted to end it after that mess. Revenge wont bring them back. It might even kill you in the process. So what would have been the point of that? Peake always saw the smarter side of ways. After a few more catch-ups, we formally parted ways and went to our separate vehicles, peeling out one by one. As soon as Ryan got into the far, I sighed.

"I hate this." I say. He glances to me. "I hate being back. I hate what my mom has done here. I hate every single thing about this place now."

"I know." Ryan's voice was low and calm. "I hate it too, but Babe... they actually need us this time. It's not all fun and games with a little bit of protecting here and there anymore. There is a whole city at stake and it's not because of us for once." I sit quietly and take in his words. "I know this sucks and I know we never wanted to come back. Hell, I'm sure something in you wanted to let this city rot away, but you and I both know you couldn't let that happen." He was right. Then again, he always seems to be right. The car is quiet for a while as we pull out onto the streets of Los Santos. I feel my stomach aching and sigh.

"I could really use a twenty piece right now." I say casually. Ryan laughs from beside me and turns into the right lane.

"Okay, a twenty piece it is then." I smile and lean over to kiss his cheek while he makes a right on red. I live this man so much. I honestly cannot see myself without him.

**Author's Note:**

> I drew Diane!  
> https://bocawrites.tumblr.com/post/178824904701/lp-diane-pattillo-for-back-in-black


End file.
